


Closer, yet miles apart

by ImagineYourself



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Prom, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 08:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineYourself/pseuds/ImagineYourself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something in the loft, and of course Derek calls the only person he knows to help him: Stiles. But it's prom night and Derek didn't get to say thanks.</p><p>Or Stiles helps out, Derek uses his words. And his hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer, yet miles apart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OctopusHotdogs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctopusHotdogs/gifts).



> Prompt fic. Happy Valentine's day my dear, and to all other lovelies who read this, too.

Something was in the loft. Two years after the whole fiasco with the nemeton, there was still random shit being attracted to Beacon Hills, and Derek was still the one with the worst luck in their whole damn pack. Well, he wasn't quite part of the pack, more of a side guy that hung out with them but didn't actually call Scott his alpha. Scott still wouldn't let him be his beta, even after he'd allowed the twins to join. Maybe someday it would change, but for now it was alright considering the alpha had only just turned eighteen and it was still a bit weird between them. 

Besides that however, Derek was still the one with the stupid supernatural problems and since he was on his own in his loft, he had to call up someone every time something happened like a dumb little creature sneaking into _his_ place and hiding in _his_ shadows and being an annoying little shit like most small, malevolent critters. And so, Derek did what Derek usually does and called Stiles.

The human answered on the third ring with an annoyed, “What's up?”

“Hey. So, once again, there's something in the loft and I don't know what it is or how to get rid of it,” Derek replied, turning slowly in a circle to see if he could pick out where the little fiend was hiding, glowing blueish eyes like a parody of his own. 

“Let me guess,” Stiles muttered tiredly. “You want me to take time out of my busy schedule to drive all the way over there and help you out to get rid of whatever menial, harmless little creature is tearing up your sad, lonely home. Again.”

The werewolf hid his chuckle under a growl. “Yes.”

“Fuck yeah, be there in fifteen.” Stiles hung up and Derek slipped his phone back into his pocket, smiling to himself. He and Stiles had spent a long time tripping over eggshells around each other with their words and figuring out how to understand what the other was saying. Derek had slowly learned to tell when Stiles was joking and when he was being serious, and knew how to respond appropriately. It had been a slow coming process, and there were still some flaws in the system, but they understood each other far better than Derek had ever hoped they would. That also caused some problems, though, since Derek had also been starting to feel something for Stiles other than what he figured a friend should be feeling. He wasn't really sure what word to use to describe it, but every time he saw the boy it was like something was tugging at him, pulling at him, drawing him closer and closer to almost craving the platonic touches they would share when standing near each other, or the smell that the human always carried, or the noises of frustration or happiness he would make sometimes.

While he was deep in his thoughts, the little creature haunting his floor had scurried past him, heading towards his bed, which was still little more than a mattress shoved in the corner with some blankets on it. Derek cursed and spun around, trying to find its beady blue eyes in the dimness of sunset that was filtering in through his big window. He couldn't turn on the lights because it seemed to be another one of those things that thrived in the darkness and the shadows, and while he was more unsafe while it was dark, it would also be easier to catch if he could lure it out with strategic lights or something.

The door slid open, startling him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Stiles entering the loft, shutting the door quickly behind him, but not moving further into the room. He held a jar in his hand that was filled with something dark which Derek immediately knew was mountain ash, and he spread it in front of the door before standing and looking to the werewolf, who was still standing in the middle of the room. Derek noticed with an odd quirk of his brow that the boy was wearing what appeared to be an old parody of a tux, not quite as nice, but black and form fitting, though the jacket hung open and he was wearing a faded red Coca Cola shirt underneath.

“What?” Stiles exclaimed at his expression. “It's prom tonight. Which, by the way, thanks for calling. You saved me from another hour of Lydia fussing over the fact that I'm not wearing an actual tux. It's not my fault the rental place only has so many... and I didn't start looking till today,” he added in a slow whisper. “Anyway, what seems to be the problem?” He moved closer to Derek, looking around the room surreptitiously for the creature.

“That thing,” the wolf replied, pointing an accusing finger at the corner where his bed was, where two small eyes were peeking out at him from behind a support pillar, blinking quickly. “I've got no idea what it is, but it was here when I got home today.”

Stiles hummed to himself thoughtfully, walking towards the creature, which shied away and shut it's eyes, blending in almost perfectly with the gathering shadows. “Yeah, I've got nothing. Maybe I can get it in a ring of mountain ash. Call Deaton, he might have an idea.”

Derek pulled his phone back out, scrolling through his contacts until he found the vet's name. He held the device to his ear though his eyes were following the boy, who was standing stock still and looking at the shadows where they'd just seen the thing. He turned away when Deaton answered, exchanging a few pleasantries before getting down to business. Once he was finished and hung up, he turned back to see Stiles with a frustrated look on his face and a handful of mountain ash with various other little circles of ash dotting the floor around him. Derek watched as eventually, he just gave up, threw the handful in the air and followed it as it fell to the floor in a strangely lopsided square around the creature, which screeched softly and blinked its eyes at the boy. 

Stiles turned back to Derek with a triumphant grin. The werewolf rolled his eyes slightly but stepped closer. “Deaton says it's harmless and that you can either kill it with a bit of fire, or catch it and set it free.”

“Well, it'll probably just go bug some other broody werewolf if we don't kill it,” Stiles mused bluntly. “Grab a lighter.”

Derek did as he was told and went to rummage around on his desk before coming up with a little one and tossing it to Stiles, who caught it with a fumble and a sheepish smile. “Just light the ash, it should burn the thing out,” he told the human.

They watched as the ring of ash lit up like gasoline and slowly burned inward, making the little creature screech again as the light burned away the shadows it was hiding in. Once the fire had burned itself out, Derek flipped on the lights, letting the warm glow of electricity knock out the rest of the shadows from the black night outside. They stood side by side and Derek thought to himself that he would have to clean up the weirdly shaped mess of black on his floor in the morning. 

Stiles went around collecting the leftover mountain ash from the floor and they both started when his phone went off with a shrill noise. “Oh, shit, I'm gonna be late. I gotta run, Derek, see you later!” he called out, giving a half-hearted wave with the hand his jar was in as he bolted out the door, breaking the ash line there but not bothering to sweep it back up in his haste.

“Uh, thanks?” Derek called out to the now empty room. He glanced around. Sighing, he thought that he almost missed the little creature. Even if it was annoying, it was company. With that sad thought in mind, Derek checked the time and wondered how hard it would be to sneak into prom.

. . . . .

Derek arrived when the party was in full swing, the room hot and filled with the scent of too much sweat and the music too loud and jarring his thoughts. He wondered what the hell he thought he was doing there. That was when he saw Scott, with Stiles right beside him and Isaac, Allison and Lydia hanging behind them. As he watched, Lydia drew away from the group, beckoning for Stiles to join her, and the two of them moved further onto the dance floor, lighting up with smiles as they started dancing. Or at least Derek thought it might be dancing, it was more hip swaying on Lydia's part and weird arm flailing on Stiles' part. The wolf felt a fond smile tug on his lips as something else tugged on his heart and he was just about to wonder what it was when Scott saw him and called his name loudly, making his attention jump back to the other three. 

“Hey, man, what are you doing here?” Scott asked, talking loudly over the music as Derek drew near.

“Stiles came by earlier to help me out with something and I didn't get the chance to thank him,” Derek shouted in reply.

“So you came to our prom?” Scott gave him a skeptical look, but Allison shoved him in the ribs and Isaac muttered something in his ear from his other side, so low that Derek couldn't pick it up. Then the alpha threw his head back in a raucous laugh and glanced towards where Stiles seemed to be imitating a swan... or maybe it was “the sprinkler”, he wasn't sure. The song finally came to a close and immediately something slow and soft started playing, making everyone stop their weird grinding sessions in the middle of the dance floor and find partners to sway with.

Scott, Allison and Isaac all looked at each other and shrugged, the alpha pushing the other two away to dance together while he hooked an arm around Derek's shoulders. They turned to watch where Stiles and Lydia were moving, bodies close and looking like they were either having a really intimate conversation or were about to kiss. Derek's stomach flipped painfully and he shut his eyes, moving his head so that they wouldn't be in his line of vision when he opened them again.

“Maybe I should just go. He looks busy,” Derek muttered, his face close enough to Scott's that he knew the boy heard him.

“Dude, it's fine, we don't care.” Derek didn't answer and when he opened his eyes again he found Scott looking at him curiously before glancing back at the dancing pair of humans. “Oh,” he whispered. “Dude! You like Stiles!” His mouth was agape and he kept glancing between them in something akin to awe. “You came here to tell him didn't you!”

“What? No, I—”

“He and Lyds are just here as friends, Derek, they're not together. You can interrupt them. I don't think Stiles will mind.” Scott gave him a half-wink that was more like an eye twitch, but his grin was wider than ever as he looked at the other wolf.

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

Scott huffed and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Dude, you and Stiles are seriously so blind. He's been completely in love with you since sophomore year. And I kind of suspected you felt the same. Honestly, I'd been hoping he would ask you to prom, but he was too scared I think.”

Derek was dumbstruck. He gaped openly at the younger werewolf for a few long seconds before abruptly shaking his head and turning away. “No way. He couldn't—”

“Hey, Derek! What are you doing here!” Stiles called out, stepping over lightly as the song ended and Lydia went to sit at a table somewhere behind them. 

“I, uh,” he mumbled.

“Dude, just go for it,” Scott said in his ear, slapping him on the back before heading over to where Allison and Isaac were still dancing.

“You okay, man?” Stiles asked, his face falling into an expression of concern.

“Uh, yeah, just, um,” Derek stuttered, clearing his throat. “I wanted to thank you for your help today.” His throat felt tight and he couldn't look Stiles in the eyes, so his gaze settled on his mouth. And that was far worse.

“Hey, no problem. Anytime.” Stiles didn't seem very convinced, though, and he put a hand on Derek's shoulder. “Derek?”

“Let's go outside,” Derek suddenly said, walking briskly away and only glancing back once to make sure the boy was following him as he headed towards the doors that would lead outside of the gymnasium, where the dance was being held.

“What's up, Derek,” Stiles asked him breathlessly once they reached the cool night air. 

Derek turned to him suddenly, but found himself at a loss for words again. “I...” He trailed off, finally meeting Stiles' gaze, which was shadowed and dark, but still shone with amber and life in the moonlight. Moving forward without his conscious assent, Derek wasn't really sure what happened, but one moment he was staring at Stiles' confused expression and the next he had the boy pinned up against the building. His hands were simultaneously tangled in Stiles' hair and gripping tightly to his hips, while one of his thighs was wedged between the boy's knees and his chest was pressing him into the wall. He didn't think he could call what they were doing with their mouths a kiss, it was more of a mashing of tongues and teeth that was desperate and hot and messy and everything that Derek had thought it would be when he'd dreamed of it late in the night or when he was alone under the hot spray of his shower.

Time passed, but he wasn't sure how much, and he didn't stop until Stiles' hands, which had been roaming along his back and his hips and his ass, were pushing him away. Their eyes met and Derek saw arousal and happiness reflected in those amber eyes, but also questions that Stiles' was breathing too hard to ask for the moment. Even before he got a chance to, though, Derek was pulling away until he was no longer holding Stiles' to the wall.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Stiles was quick to call out. “Not that I didn't like that, but, uh, that was a really weird way of saying thank you.”

“I like you,” Derek blurted before he caught his tongue. He held his breath and there was a tense moment where neither of them moved or breathed.

Then Stiles was pulling him back in by the front of his jacket and kissing him hard for just a second before stopping to whisper, “I like you, too.” Derek growled a laugh deep in his chest and he wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist, leaning in to kiss him again, but tender and gentle this time.

“Good,” he mumbled. “That's good.” Stiles laughed and Derek could feel his smile against his mouth until they kissed another time.


End file.
